FE High
by blazekick360
Summary: Chrom moves to a new school for his final year of high school. However, despite a difficult start, he learns to make friends and even find love. (Takes place in an Ylisse that parallels current society)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"Don't worry Chrom, you'll be fine." said Emmeryn. She turned the steering wheel of her tiny sports car, which turned right into the parking lot of the local high school. In the passenger seat, Chrom sat quietly with a sour expression on his face. His little sister Lissa was in the back seat of the car, texting on her cell phone, not paying attention to the one-sided conversation going on between her two older siblings. "We all have to make changes and sacrifices." said Emmeryn, "I know you're in pain right now, but you can't dwell on what hurts you." She turned her head and smiled at her younger brother. "You'll make friends."

"I was happy with my old friends." said Chrom miserably, "And now I need a passport and an airplane just to see them."

"You can still communicate though." said Emmeryn, turning the wheel once again, "You've got phones, internet, and dare I say, _letters._ If they're real friends you won't lose them. And you'll make new friends here."

"Why even bother?" Chrom asked, "I'm in my last year of high school. Why should I even try to make friends if I'm probably never going to see them again after graduation?" Emmeryn pulled into a nearby parking spot and put the car in park.

"Because then this will be a very boring year for you." said Emmeryn smartly. "Try to make the best of this Chrom. You don't see Lissa moping around. I mean look at her go already." Chrom looked around to the backseat, which to his surprise was empty. He swung his head around to look out the window. Lissa had already hopped out of the car and was walking towards the entrance, looking around curiously. Suddenly she was stopped by a group of girls who began talking to her. After a few moments of talking, she joined the girls on their way to the school building. "See how easy that was Chrom?" asked Emmeryn. When she saw that he was still unamused by the situation she said, "There is light in everything Chrom. You just have to pull back the shades some time." She plucked the aviator sunglasses that Chrom was wearing off of his face and hung them on the front of his white T-shirt, which he wore under a blue short sleeved button-up which he left open. "Take those off. They make you look aloof." she said. Chrom rolled his eyes. Em always had one of those wise old sayings that sounded like they came out of a fortune cookie. But she always had a way of having them make sense.

"I'm out," he said, grabbing his black backpack and opening the car door. "I'll see you at dinner?" he asked.

"They're just getting me set up today so I should be home early today. I thought we could go out for dinner tonight." suggested Emmeryn, "You know, if you like."

"Sounds good," said Chrom indifferently, "See you later." As he began to walk away, Emmeryn rolled down the window,

"Chrom," she called out. He turned around. "Have fun," she said with her most encouraging smile. Chrom smiled and gave her the thumbs up. There was a moment of understanding between the two siblings before Emmeryn drove off. Chrom turned and moved towards the school entrance. As he walked, he stretched his arms into the air, taking in the warm sunlight. "I guess that's one bright side; no uniforms." he thought to himself. It was his first time in a public school in long time. He had been going to an all-boys private school since middle school. He had made the best of it, and had made some friends, but the formality and atmosphere of private school life was not exactly his idea of a good time. When Em had told him that he would have to go to a public high school, he had first been against the idea, however as he mulled over it more, he thought that he probably would have been equally miserable having to go back to private school. In all honesty, Chrom was starting to feel almost eager to go this new school. The whole act in the car had just been to justify the initial fuss he had made over changing schools when he had first heard the news. He felt sort of bad about making a stink over it now. He realized that Emmeryn and Lissa had to make sacrifices for Em's new job. She had recently been promoted to a high paying job in the Ylissean Embassy. And while meaning higher pay and benefits, it also meant that she would have to be relocated from the central office in Ylisstol to the embassy which was located in Southtown. Ylisstol was about an 8 hour drive from Southtown. Difficult to make on a weekend, and impossible on a school night, Chrom was completely discouraged from ever seeing his old friends from the capital in person anytime soon. He knew there was texting, Facebook and Twitter to keep in touch, but Chrom was never one to rely on social media to sustain friendships. However it now seemed that he had no choice but to use it more often now that his whole life had been uprooted. Chrom sighed. "Only for Em," he mused to himself.

Chrom revered his older sister. Everyone back home knew that. Ever since their father died two years ago, Em had become the primary caretaker of Chrom and Lissa. Being only 15 at that time, Chrom was pretty shaken up for a while. Not that his father had been the best father. He had always been working in his office job for the government, in the Ylissean Department of Defense. So basically his job had been deciding who they were going to go to war with next. Ylisse had been at war with various nations for the last fifteen years prior to the death of his father. Plegia, Valm, and almost Regna Ferox, basically every bordering country had been in some sort of conflict with Ylisse in that time. Chrom had been mortified then when he had heard that Emmeryn was going to go into a government job like his father. Conversely, he had been relieved when she had gotten a job in the Department of Justice. Somewhere righteous, somewhere true, a perfect match for Em's personality. Chrom looked over his shoulder, just in time to see Emmeryn pull out of the parking lot and on to the main road. With a final sigh, he turned back and headed into the school building.


	2. Chapter 2

As Chrom entered the building, he was immediately hit with a wave of noise. The sound of teenage chatter emanated from every corner of the front atrium. It was a large round room with a number of hallways leading to what Chrom presumed would be classrooms and the like. A glass ceiling poured sunlight down onto the tables around which a number of students were sitting, relaxing before the beginning of the school day. It was a bustle of activity as Chrom walked through the crowd towards the doors to the main office, which was located on the far end of the atrium directly across from the front entrance. Trying to avoid bumping into the slew of lost-looking freshman trying to find their way, Chrom worked his way towards the office. As soon as he was clear of the crowd, he slipped in the doorway and approached the counter. An old woman with white hair and glasses sat there, looking at a window on her computer screen while comparing it with a hard copy list of student names. She paid no attention to Chrom as he entered. Realizing that he had not been noticed, Chrom rang the small silver bell that sat on the counter. Upon hearing the high pitched sound, the secretary looked up with a start. Seeing Chrom, she said, "Sorry about that, I was just focusing on the class lists. How can I help you?"

"My name is Chrom. I'm a new student and the e-mail told me to come here before school to get my stuff organized." he answered.

"One second, let me check my list," she said as she picked up the piece of paper she had been looking at earlier. She ran her finger down the list of names until she found Chrom's name. "Aha yes, here you are." she said brightly, "I believe I just met your sister a few minutes ago. Lissa, right? Such a sweet girl, that she is." beamed the lady. "Now then, in regards to you," she continued, "You've been placed in homeroom 12B, which meets in room 13 every morning. For the rest of your classes, you'll have to go to the guidance office, which is just next door to here, to select what courses you'd like to take this year. All of the returning students already chose their classes at the end of last year, but I'm sure that you'll be able to find some courses that aren't full. They are very helpful over there," she said sweetly. "Also here is a map of the school. It can be tricky finding your way around a new place." she added, handing Chrom a piece of paper with a diagram of the building on it.

"Thanks," said Chrom as he turned to leave.

"Not a problem sweetheart," said the lady with a sweet smile, "By the way, my name is Mrs. Sweeney and if you ever have any problems, feel free to come to me. I love helping new students."

"Ok, good to know," replied Chrom as he went out the door. As he left the office, Chrom went to the room next door to the office which was adorned with motivational posters as well as images of possible future career aspirations. Chrom opened the door and bumped into Lissa, who was just exiting.

"Oh, Chrom!" she said surprised. "Are you just getting here now?"

"Yeah," he replied, "How are you already done? Mrs. Sweeney said she met you just a few minutes ago. And I can't imagine you're done picking your courses already." he said with skepticism.

"But I am," protested Lissa. "I only get one elective because I'm a ninth grader so it was really easy to figure my schedule out. Anyway, I'll see you later. I told my friend Nowi that I'd meet her before class starts." With that, Lissa ran off before Chrom could respond with any more questions. With only a vague idea of what options he had for his schedule, he entered the guidance office and approached the desk, which was occupied by a young woman with green hair tied back in a ponytail with a red ribbon. She wore a stylish red blazer over a plain white T-shirt and the name plate on her desk read, 'Ms. Tiki' She smiled at Chrom as he approached and asked him, "Hi, are you a new student?"

"Yeah," Chrom replied.

"Awesome. We've got student volunteers helping the new students figure out their schedules. Let me grab someone who can assist you," she said as she rose from her seat and went over to the back area. As Ms. Tiki disappeared into the staff area, Chrom looked around the room to see pairs of students poring over books filled with course descriptions and filling out forms. He turned around just in time to see Ms. Tiki returning with an attractive young girl Chrom's age with long red hair down to her waist. She wore a button-up white blouse and dark blue skinny jeans and red flats. "Hi, I'm Cordelia," she said as she extended her hand to Chrom.

"Chrom," he replied, shaking Cordelia's hand.

"Cordelia's great Chrom," said Ms. Tiki, "She's captain of the debate team, a cheerleader, and student body president for this year so she's got plenty of experience to help you with."

"I'm also heading this year's prom committee, so if you have any ideas, feel free to shoot them my way," she added. "Let's get to work then. We can go find a seat in the atrium and get cracking." said Cordelia briskly. Cordelia quickly picked up a book and some loose papers off of Ms. Tiki's desk and then led Chrom out to the atrium, where they found seats at a long bench-like table. They took seats opposite from each other and Cordelia opened up the book. "So what are your future career goals Chrom?" she inquired.

"I'm not exactly sure." answered Chrom, "I mean the rest of my family have been pretty much into purely government jobs, but that doesn't interest me in the slightest."

"That's not a problem then. We'll work our way through this," said Cordelia reassuringly. "We'll just work our way down. Now, English and Math are the only mandatory subjects for every student of our level, so we can mark those off our list," she said as she wrote down the corresponding course codes on the course selection sheet. "That leaves you with six electives." she finished. Just as they were about to begin perusing the course description book for the electives, a girl ran up calling Cordelia's name, until she fell flat on her face next to them. As she got up, she pushed her brown locks out of her face and adjusted her pink sweater.

"What's up Sumia? asked Cordelia.

"Stahl asked me to come get you. The student council needs your help to start getting ready for the pep rally."

"Right now? Er... I'm helping Chrom right now but... if I have to go." Cordelia contemplated for a moment. "Oh! Do you think you could help Chrom in my place Sumia?" she asked willfully.

"Sure, I guess. I mean, it can't be that hard, can it?" answered Sumia tentatively.

"Thanks a bunch Sumia. I owe you one." said Cordelia thankfully, while grabbing her purse and dashing to one of the hallways. Sumia sat down and smiled at Chrom.

"Hi, I'm Sumia," she said shyly.

"Yeah, I know. Cordelia already said that." replied Chrom.

"Oh yeah," said Sumia, blushing. She then looked at the paper that Cordelia and Chrom had been working on. "So you're picking your courses? Let's see what you've got so far. English and Math," she noted. "What kinds of things interest you Chrom?"

"I've never been sure what I wanted to do after high school so the past years at my old school, I just took a variety so I could cover everything."

"Ok then, that makes it a bit easier for us then if your open to a variety," said Sumia, "But let's look at the course descriptions and see what appeals to you. We can look at some of the courses that I'm taking, so that you can at least have a familiar face in some of your classes. You know, if that was something you'd want." said Sumia, blushing once again.

"I'd love having you in my class." said Chrom with a smile. Sumia gushed. For the next half an hour, Chrom and Sumia perused the course book, looking for courses that would fit into his schedule. In addition to the English and Math classes that Cordelia had put down, Chrom selected Biology, Chemistry, Drama, War History, Physical Education and Fitness, and Home Economics. As soon as all the appropriate paperwork was filled out, Chrom handed it in to Ms. Tiki in the guidance office and returned to Sumia out in the atrium.

"It's almost time for school to start. What homeroom are you in? asked Sumia.

"Um... 12B I think," answered Chrom, trying to remember what Mrs. Sweeney had told him.

"Oh, that's where I am. We can go together." said Sumia happily, "Have you had a chance to walk around the school yet?" she asked.

"No, not yet," answered Chrom.

"Well then that's all the more reason to go together." said Sumia, "It's this way." Sumia began leading Chrom down one of the hallways that led out of the atrium. As they walked, they began to talk about other interests, such as Sumia's involvement in the gardening club and volleyball team, as well as her interest in animals. She also told Chrom about some of the other clubs in the school. Chrom was quite interested about the soccer team. They talked until Sumia stopped in front of a room with a small black 13 above it.

"Well, we're here," she said, "Just in time too, the bell is about to ring."

"Wait, what about my schedule?" asked Chrom worriedly.

"Don't worry; today's not a real school day. We just have extended homeroom and then there's a pep rally and barbeque later. Someone will get you your schedule later today," explained Sumia, as they entered the room. It was an average looking classroom. It was full of the kind of desks that are attached to the seats. As Chrom took a seat in the second row, he looked around at some of the other students who had already arrived. Sumia sat to his right, while on his left; there was a girl with bubblegum pink hair tied back in a long ponytail and two long braids in the front. She wore big gold bangles on both of her wrists. In the seat in front of Sumia, there sat a girl with reddish-brown hair and glasses, waiting patiently for the day to begin. Looking behind him, Chrom saw a few rows up from the back, a pair who looked like they could be twins, a boy and a girl, both with white hair who were talking to each other quietly. A girl wearing all white was also in the front row. She had long blond hair and was muttering to herself. As Chrom was observing all these other students, the warning bell rang, alerting students that they should begin making their way to class. Within the next five minutes, a large number of students began entering the classroom. Most notable of them were a tough looking girl with short red hair and a red T-shirt, a muscular guy with blond spiky hair who had a smug expression on his face, a pale girl with long jet black hair who went immediately to sit at the back behind the male twin who had arrived earlier, and Cordelia, who was accompanied by a guy with very messy hair and wearing a green polo shirt. By the time the second bell rang, most of the seats were filled. The teacher entered right at the bell, carrying a briefcase and wearing a white shirt with a red tie. He was a young man, in his late twenties by Chrom's guess, with wavy yet controlled chestnut hair. He smiled at his class and said,

"Welcome back class, to another year at Southtown High. My name is Frederick Steward and I will be your homeroom teacher this year. As he said this, he wrote his name on the board. As he turned around he said, "I am also teaching the grade twelve chemistry classes this year, so I hope to see some of you there." There was a pause as he waited for someone to excitedly announce that they would be joining him in that class. When no one came forward, he continued. "Now, as we do roll call, I thought it would be fun if everyone provided an interesting tidbit about themselves, or about their summer perhaps. Now let's see who is first. Ah yes... Anna Afflent." A girl with bright red hair in a high ponytail put her hand up and said, "Here." Frederick marked down her name on the list. "Ah yes, good, good," he said to himself, 'And anything interesting Anna?"

"Well, I did come into some prospects for my new business venture. I guess that counts as interesting," she said nonchalantly.

"Quite so," said Frederick agreeably, "Anything else you can share about that?" he inquired.

"Nope, nada, zilch," she said quickly, "Top secret, confidential, gotta zip my lip. Hope that's ok," she added.

"Quite alright," said Frederick moving to the next name on the list. "Libra Avemari." Libra turned out to be the blond girl sitting in front of Chrom, and also turned out to be a boy. After putting his hand up he stated quietly, "I had the opportunity to live with a religious order and learn the word of the divine."

"How very fascinating," stated Frederick. Continuing down the list, Chrom learned more about his new classmates. Virion, a boy with long blue hair said that he had spent the entire summer at his family estate in Valm with Cherche, another girl in the class, who sat next to him and had long coral hair down to her waist. Cherche simply shared that her pet komodo dragon Minerva had learned to fetch, and that she was incredibly proud. The muscular blond guy that Chrom had seen earlier, who ended up being called Vaike, proved his jerkiness by bragging about the mad gains he had made over the summer. Olivia, the pink-haired girl who sat to the left of Chrom, said that she had the chance to be a background dancer for an up and coming pop star and went on a short tour around the country with them. Then it came to Chrom's turn. Racking his brain for something interesting, the only thing that he could think of was that he was new to Southtown and hoped to make some new friends.

"How wonderful," Frederick said jubilantly in response to this fact, "Let's all give Chrom a warm welcome." Following this, a couple of students gave quiet hellos, the majority of students smiled, and a few at the back, including Vaike, didn't pay attention. Chrom paid no attention to those few, just happy that the majority of his classmates seemed welcoming. Continuing with the next person, Chrom learned that the bespectacled girl in front of Sumia, Miriel, had quite possibly isolated the gene that affects fingernail growth speed. A boy a few rows behind Chrom named Kellam got completely missed the first time his name was called. Frederick called his name when it came up on the list, but no one acknowledged his waving hand at the time. He eventually had to yell to be noticed, and frankly, Chrom was surprised that he had been missed at all. He was easily the biggest person in the room, being a head taller than everyone, even while sitting down. After moving on from Kellam, the final person in the room was Henry, who simply stated that his favourite colour was blood, which Chrom found odd and slightly creepy. After Frederick ticked Henry's name off the list, he put it in a red folder which he placed on the corner of his desk.

"Well it was quite enjoyable to get to know each of you a little bit better. I hope we can have a successful year together," said Frederick, "Oh, and before I forget, we have to give Chrom an impromptu test of the names of your new peers to see how well this exercise worked for you." Chrom looked around the room. He couldn't possibly be expected to remember everyone's name after one extremely short class.

"Aaand go." said Frederick.

"Uh... Anna, Libra, Miriel, Say'ri," he started slowly. Frederick nodded at him encouragingly. Gaining more confidence, he quickened his pace, "Olivia, myself, Sumia, Sully," Turning in his seat he continued to the next row, "Maribelle, Donnel, Virion Cherche, erm... Stahl, Cordelia, Gaius, Henry." Stretching his neck to see right to the back he finished, "Robin, Ava, Lon'qu, Panne, Tharja, and Vic."

"It's Vaike," complained Vaike.

"And you completely forgot me. Again." added Kellam with a sigh. Chrom turned back around in his seat, ignoring Vaike. He thought he did a good job. He only forgot the name of the guy he didn't think he would be friends with. And Kellam. But it already seemed to Chrom that everyone forgot Kellam.

"It was an impressive effort nonetheless," said Frederick, "And now it seems that our short time together today is up. You are all dismissed to go to the school-wide pep rally and barbeque which is located in the school courtyard. I hope to see you all there." Frederick dismissed the class and they began to file out of the room. Sumia and Chrom left together and were quickly approached by Donnel, who had been sitting directly behind Chrom.

"Hey there partner," said Donnel cheerfully. "The name's Donnel, but you can call me Donny." He clapped Chrom on the back playfully and said, "So I hear, you're a city slicker. What's that like?" Chrom looked at Donnel. He was quite a bit shorter than Chrom so he had to look down. Donnel wore a blue t-shirt with beige khaki shorts and a beige fishing hat on his head. He was obviously very friendly as a huge grin split across his face.

"It's alright I guess. It's definitely a smaller school than the public schools back in Ylisstol. I went to a private school so I can't speak too much on it but from what I saw it's quite different."

"A fancy-schmancy private school you say?" said Donnel, bewildered, "Woo, you should probably be hanging with Cherche and Virion... or Maribelle." As he said Maribelle's name, his wide grin turned into a smitten one and his face went bright pink. Chrom noticed this and said,

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you like this Maribelle chick."

"Oh gosh dangit I do," said Donnel enthusiastically. "She's beautiful and graceful and elegant." Donnel's grin grew even larger as he daydreamed over Maribelle. "But she'd never go fer a guy like me. She's swimming in money and I'm just the son of a farmer," he finished sadly.

"Maribelle's that blonde girl with the hair bows that you were sitting next to in homeroom right?" asked Chrom. Remembering Maribelle, he thought that she seemed like a total princess and couldn't imagine Donny and her as a couple. "Well, never say never Donny," Chrom said reassuringly.

"Thanks Chrom," said Donny, cheering up a bit. The three students pushed open the doors that led out to the courtyard. Bright sunlight streamed down onto their faces, causing them to shield their eyes with their hands. It was a beautiful day out, with only a few wispy clouds in the sky as well as a warm breeze that only added to the pleasurable conditions. As they walked further out into the courtyard, Donny said, "Woo, it's so hot even the cows are sweating." As he said this, he removed his hat from his head and started fanning himself with it. Unrestricted by his hat, Donny's incredibly curly hair sprung from his head in all directions. Noticing this, he quickly replaced his hat on his head. "Dang hair, it always does this." he complained, "It's a family trait. My entire family has as curly hair as I do, if not worse." Chrom and Sumia chuckled innocently at Donny's misfortune. They both looked at each other for a second until Sumia looked away blushing.

"Do you guys want to grab something to eat?" asked Chrom, suddenly realizing how hungry he was. Chrom had not eaten breakfast this morning as he had overslept in his attempt to prolong going to school as long as possible.

"Sure, I'm pretty hungry," said Sumia, recovering from her spell of bashfulness, "The line for the barbeque starts over there," she said pointing a short distance away where several students had begun lining up. The three of them took a spot in line, waiting for their turn to be served. The smell of the burgers and hotdogs cooking on the grill, which was being manned by a tall teacher with blue hair, wafted through the air, making Chrom even hungrier. His stomach began to rumble, causing him to not hear the small voice coming from behind him.

"Excuse me, you three took my spot," the voice said unassumingly. Neither Chrom, Sumia nor Donnel noticed. "Excuse me," it said a little bit louder, still to no avail. Sumia began talking to Chrom again about his old school. "EXCUSE ME! YOU THREE TOOK MY SPOT!" the voice finally shouted. The three of them turned around, just hearing it for the first time. Behind them stood Kellam, the source of the voice, who looked sad to have had to shout so loudly to be noticed.

"Oh sorry Kellam, we didn't notice you were already in line." apologized Donny.

"It's ok," he said glumly, "I'm used to it."

"No seriously," said Sumia, "We feel really badly. Go ahead of us."

"Really? Well if you insist." said Kellam. He sidled along the edge of the wall that the line was traveling along past Chrom and Donny and took the place in front of them. The line moved rather quickly after that as the teacher in charge of the food proved rather efficient in serving the food. Soon they were at the front of the line. The teacher ended up being named Mr. Ragnell and was indeed as quick as Chrom had anticipated. He masterfully flipped a few burgers onto buns and decorated them with condiments. After only moments, Chrom, Sumia and Donny were walking away with fresh hot burgers. As they walked towards the football field bleachers where the pep rally was to be held, Sumia noticed Kellam walking away by himself, looking very down in the dumps. Chrom saw this too and look at Sumia. After a nod of agreement, Chrom walked over to him. He was sitting on a rock and looked very down in the dumps. As Chrom approached him, he looked up forlornly. "Hey Kellam, did you want to come sit with us at the pep rally?" Kellam looked up and a small thankful smile crept on to his face.

"Sure," he answered. The two boys returned to where Sumia and Donnel were waiting. Once they reconvened, they began walking once again to the field. As they walked towards the pep rally, Kellam's smile continued to grow.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the football field. Long silver bleachers lined the sides of the field and were beginning to fill up with students. The four of them found some seats about halfway up and sat down, waiting for the rally to start. They were just in time as well, as a tall lady with long teal hair made her way to a podium at the centerline of the field.

"That's the principal, Ms. Naga," said Sumia, pointing her out to Chrom. Disregarding the loud chatter of the students, she spoke into the microphone attached to the podium.

"Welcome back to another year at Southtown High everyone," she said gently. Her voice had a natural warm and welcoming tone to it. It also seemed to have a calming effect as the bleachers quickly quieted down when she began speaking. She paused before she continued, smiling at the students. "I'll keep this quick as I know that you are all ready to begin the entertainment." she said, "but I do want to give you a quick welcome, encouraging you to work hard this year, but also to have fun and make friendships that will last you a lifetime." She looked around the bleachers once again before finishing. "And that about it. So if you're all ready, I'd like to introduce the Southtown High cheerleading squad to kick off today's festivities. Give them a hand!" Ms. Naga stepped down from the podium and walked towards the bleachers and sat down in the front row. Two teachers came out to remove the podium from the field as a group of girls dressed in blue and white cheerleading uniforms ran onto the field and got into their positions. Chrom could see Cordelia in the front of the formation, calling out orders to the other girls. He also noticed that Olivia and Maribelle from homeroom were in the squad as well. He looked over at Donny to see him drooling, most likely over Maribelle. He looked back towards the field to see the beginning of the routine.

"Ready? OK! Goooo Shepherds!" said the squad in unison. Chrom rolled his eyes. He thought that only cheerleading squads in movies started out routines like that. Surprise took over however, as the routine truly began. Chrom was shocked at how acrobatic the squad actually was, especially Cordelia and Olivia, who flew through the air with ease. Even Maribelle held her own, surprising Chrom and erasing the notion he had of her being a _complete_ princess by pulling off a one-handed round off into a back flip. The routine ended with the typical human pyramid, with a twist at the end. Cordelia topped the pyramid and struck a pose, making it look like the routine was over. However to complete the show, she jumped straight off of the pyramid, twirled through the air and landed on her feet in front of the pyramid. As she struck a final pose, the crowd erupted into cheers. People were on their feet, applauding for the athleticism of the squad. Through the commotion, Chrom heard a familiar voice. He looked in the general direction of the sound. A few rows in front of him to the right, Lissa stood cheering for the cheerleaders along with everyone else. She was with the girls that she had joined at the beginning of the morning as well as a short boy with reddish-brown hair and a blue cap. Chrom didn't pay too much mind to her though, and instead turned back towards the festivities.

By this time the cheerleaders had cleared the field and some teachers had taken their place. The rest of the rally was quite enjoyable by Chrom's standards. The teachers who had taken the field ended up grabbing student volunteers for an obstacle relay race. Portions included a potato sack race, a tricycle race, an army crawl under wires, and a final mad dash for the finish line. Say'ri from homeroom, who was chosen to represent the twelfth graders, actually ended up winning, and received a gift card to the nearby coffee shop as a reward. Anna, who had talked about her business ventures briefly in class showed her savvy by walking up and down the bleachers selling candies and chocolates. "Hey, quit slacking off!" she shouted down to her assistant Gaius, who was munching on a candy bar and staring at the cheerleaders who were now seated in the front row, "And quit eating the merch!" she continued. Other events of the day included musical performances, comedy skits by the teachers, and an inter-grade tug-of-war, in which representatives from each grade participated in pulling on a section of four ropes tied together at the center. Vaike and his equally brawny friend with shaggy black hair were among the first to volunteer for the grade. They took the bleachers three at a time as the descended from their seats at the back, eager to show off their guns. Vaike thumped his chest as he got into position. The contest ended up being rather close, as the eleventh graders nearly upset Vaike and his team. Despite the distance, Chrom could see Vaike scowl as he returned to his seat, obviously perturbed that he wasn't able to dominate the competition.

The day finished with a soccer game between the teachers and a mixture of the varsity boys and girls soccer teams from last year. Leading the charge for the students was Sully from homeroom and for the teachers, Mr. Ragnell who had been relieved from his duties at the grill. It was a competitive match as the score went tied at zero for each team for the first half. Then about three minutes into the second half, one of the female teachers managed to score a goal. This seemed to light a spark in Sully's drive as her game, which had already been impressive, rose to a new level. Within the rest of the second half, she managed to score three goals, unassisted.

"Wow, what happened with her?" asked Chrom.

"She's best when she gets put in a corner like that," answered Sumia, "She was probably taking it easy on them in the first half too. It's no wonder she's captain of the girls _and _boys varsity teams this year."

"Wait, both of them?" said Chrom in disbelief.

"Yup," Sumia answered, "No one else in the school can even touch her. The scouts have been here every year for her. She's got offers for athletic scholarships to multiple universities."

"Wow," Chrom said in awe. Truth was that Chrom was interested in trying out for the soccer team. He had played soccer at his old school and had thought that he was pretty good. Seeing Sully's skill however, made him think of how strong the other members of the team would be.

After the game, the pep rally wrapped up with the singing of the school song. It was a little operatic for Chrom's taste but the lyrics were suitable enough. They were about staying united and steadfast in the face of adversity and the importance of camaraderie. He supposed it was better than some cheesy camp song that sounds like it belongs around a bonfire. After the song was finished, people began filing out of the bleachers and heading home. As Chrom and the others descended to the field below, he saw Mrs. Sweeney waiting at the bottom clutching a piece of paper in her hand. She had the same sweet smile plastered on her face as earlier.

"Oh Chrom," she called out, "Come here! I have your schedule ready." Chrom walked over to her, smiling as best he could. Mrs. Sweeney's cheerfulness was still a little overbearing for him. She beamed at him as he arrived. "Now here's your schedule. I hope you're happy with it," she said hopefully as she handed him the paper.

"It should be fine Mrs. Sweeney," Chrom said reassuringly. "Thank you."

"Oh it was no trouble at all." she replied sweetly. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Have a wonderful day Chrom," she said happily. Her eyes suddenly fell on Sumia, Donnel and Kellam, who were standing behind him. "Oh and I see you've already made some friends!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Hello, Sumia, Donnel... oh and Kellam, I see _you_ back there, hello." She smiled back at Chrom. "Well, I hope that I see you tomorrow Chrom. Feel free to drop by the office anytime."

"Thanks again, see you tomorrow," Chrom replied. Mrs. Sweeney gave each of them a hug and then nearly skipped off back towards the school. Waiting until she was out of earshot, Chrom said to the others, "She's a bit much, eh?"

"She means well," said Sumia. "But she can be."

"She always notices me," piped up Kellam, "She knows that I tend to, you know... blend in. She always makes a point of saying hi to me."

"Maybe that's why people think she's goin' crazy. Talkin' to thin air," said Donnel chuckling. Chrom and Sumia chuckled a little as well.

"Not funny guys," retorted Kellam, hurt.

"Anyways," said Sumia, changing the subject, "What's your schedule like Chrom?" Chrom looked at the paper Mrs. Sweeney had given him for the first time. He was very confused.

"Uh, it looks like I've got every subject this semester. How does that work?" Chrom asked Sumia.

"Oh, it's easy," she replied. "We work on a day program, rather than a semester program. You'll only have four classes per day, and the days will alternate so you have all eight of your classes within two days," she explained. "Trust me, it's not as bad as it sounds," she added, seeing Chrom's worried expression. "It gives you more time to finish homework."

"Ok, I'll trust you." said Chrom, looking Sumia in the eye. She blushed again. "Well it looks like you've got Math, War History, Chemistry and Fitness for day one and Biology, Drama, Home Economics and English for day two." said Sumia, trying to avoid Chrom's eyes.

"Hey I've got Biology, Fitness and Drama with you!" said Donnel happily.

"And I've got Math, Chemistry, and War History with you," added Kellam.

"And it seems we have the same Math, Home Economics and English with you," said Sumia, "So it looks like you've already got a friend in all of your classes." Chrom smiled. The knowledge of having a friendly face in each of his classes was reassuring to him.

"Hey, how are you getting home Chrom?" interrupted Donnel.

"Well I was gonna walk," answered Chrom.

"Perfect, I'll walk with you!" said Donnel cheerfully. "Let's go!" Donnel led the way off of the school grounds and the four friends began walking down the main street. As they walked they talked more about their interests. Chrom was surprised to learn that Donnel was in the gardening club along with Sumia. "I'm from a family of farmers so it's kind of in my blood," he explained, "but I grow vegetables while everyone else in the club does flowers."

Kellam was not in any clubs, saying that he wouldn't get in regardless of how good he was, considering his invisibility problem. Chrom shared that he was considering going out for the soccer team, which was met with support from the other three.

"That's great Chrom," said Sumia, "Sully's tough, but she's fair. You'll do awesome."

"Thanks," said Chrom. Remembering the path that Emmeryn took in the morning, he added, "I'm going this way," he said pointing one way down the intersection."

"Well then I guess this is where we part ways then," said Donnel. "My house is that one over there," he said pointing down another road, which narrowed into a rural road. The house he was pointing to looked quite ramshackle and in need of some repairs. There was an expansive field behind it however, which went on as far as Chrom could see. "Bye then," he said, waving to Donnel.

"See you tomorrow," Donnel replied, separating from the group. As Donnel walked away, Chrom, Sumia and Kellam took the path that Chrom had pointed out. They walked for another twenty minutes or so until they came to Chrom's house.

"Well, this is my place," he said, "I'd invite you in but we're still unpacking so it's kind of a mess."

"Ok, I guess we'll see you tomorrow then," said Sumia, "Can I get your phone number though? So we can talk later." she asked shyly.

"Sure," Chrom replied, pulling out his cell phone. As they input each other's numbers into their phones, Sumia looked up, "You too Kellam," she said.

"I don't have a cell phone," he replied sadly. "I did but it ended up being a waste of money since nobody remembered to call me. I can give you my house number though if you want."

"That would be great," Sumia said. "We'll see you tomorrow Chrom," she added as she and Kellam continued down the street. Chrom smiled at them as he went into his house. He dropped his backpack by the stairs and went to his bedroom where he flopped down on his bed and thought about his day, a little less apprehensive about the year.


	3. Chapter 3

Chrom dozed in bed for a little bit, swaying between sleep and consciousness. He lay there until he heard the front door open and close. He arose and groggily made his way downstairs, avoiding the packing boxes that were strewn about the house. As he descended, he saw Lissa taking her shoes off at the front door, and making her way to the kitchen. As he followed her to the kitchen, he saw her bent over grabbing something to eat out of the fridge. As she straightened up, her head poked over the fridge door and she saw Chrom. She had a spoon in her mouth and a yogurt cup in her hand.

"Oh hey Chrom," she said surprisedly, "I didn't know you were home." She went and sat down on the counter.

"Hey Liss," he replied, using his nickname for her. "What took you so long to get home? I've been here almost half an hour."

"I was hanging out at school for a bit with my new friends," she responded. "What about you, how was your day?" she asked.

"I met some people," he answered, "It's still the first day though."

"You still being a sourpuss about the move?" Lissa asked, smirking.

"Not so much anymore," Chrom replied, reaching out to muss up Lissa's hair.

"Hey!" she complained playfully, backing away. Chrom and Lissa had a good relationship, despite the age difference. With the death of their mother at an early age, and the lack of attention from their father, Emmeryn had to take up the motherly duties, leaving Chrom as Lissa's only friend during her toddler years. As most siblings, they still bickered occasionally, but the bond they formed did not waver through the years. Chrom continued going after Lissa's hair, which caused her to slide over to the other side of the granite countertop. As they horsed around in the kitchen, Chrom and Lissa heard the front door open and close once again. They stopped as they heard it, listening for who it could be.

"Hi guys," called a voice from the front foyer, "What's going on?" They relaxed. It was only Emmeryn. Chrom suddenly recalled that she had said that she would be done early today. He looked at his phone. It was only slightly after 4 o'clock. She walked into the kitchen and smiled at her siblings. She then asked them suspiciously, "What's going on in here?"

"Nothing much," answered Chrom, "We were just messing around."

"Ok," Emmeryn said slowly as she took off her white blazer. "Getting set up took a little longer than expected. I was hoping to be able to pick you guys up from school," she said sadly.

"That's ok," said Lissa, consoling her sister, "Another time."

"Thanks Liss," said Emmeryn, "I'm going to go change, and then we can go out for dinner. Think about where you want to go." Emmeryn left the kitchen and went up the stairs, followed shortly by Chrom and Lissa. All three retreated to their rooms. Having no other furniture in place yet, Chrom resumed his place on the bed. He looked at his phone and saw a text from his friend Jake, who was asking about the new school. They texted back and forth for a few minutes until Emmeryn came into his room and stood in his doorway. Chrom put down his phone and sat upright. Emmeryn entered fully and sat down quietly on the edge of the bed. She had changed from her white pantsuit into a light pink blouse and a long flowing white skirt. She looked at Chrom and said, "So... how was your first day?"

"It was alright," answered Chrom shrugging.

"Did you make any friends?" pressed Emmeryn.

"A few," Chrom answered again shortly.

"That's good. I'm glad." Emmeryn said softly. She looked at her knees for a moment. Then she looked up at Chrom again. They made eye contact for a moment until Chrom said, "Em, I'm sorry I made such a big deal about moving this morning. I was upset and I took it out on you and-"

"Don't worry about it," Emmeryn interrupted, "I understand completely. It's hard to make such a huge change at such a pivotal point in your life and I if anyone should be apologizing for putting you through this. I know you wanted to graduate with all your friends-"

"No Em," interrupted Chrom, "Don't apologize. I know what you're doing is for the best for all of us. Plus, you've been taking care of us for such a long time now and have been putting us before your own happiness. I'm glad you've finally done something good for yourself."

"Chrom..." Emmeryn said softly, looking at her knees again. "It makes me feel so good to know that you're not mad at me about this." Chrom embraced his sister.

"Em, I love you and Liss more than anything else in the world, and know that I could never be truly mad at either of you." Emmeryn smiled.

"Thank you," Emmeryn said quietly, "Now on a happier note, where do you want to go for dinner? Liss said sushi."

"Sounds good to me," agreed Chrom.

"Perfect," said Em happily, "We'll go in about half an hour than? If that's good with you?"

"Yeah, no problem. I'm just gonna change first." said Chrom, letting go of Emmeryn. She got up from the bed, smiled at Chrom, and left the room, closing the door behind her. Now alone, Chrom went into the duffel bag by his bed which housed his clothing until his dresser arrived. He pulled out a plain black t-shirt and a thin grey vest. He quickly changed into his new outfit, also opting for a darker pair of jeans than the ones he was currently wearing. With about twenty minutes to spare before they left, Chrom pulled his laptop out of his bag and opened it up. He opened his e-mail and began reading some of the messages. They included a few spam ads, two Facebook notifications, and a chain e-mail that said that he would wake up bald the next morning if he did not forward the message to ten others within the next ten minutes. The final and most recent message however was a message from the school. It was a list of additional fees for the courses he had taken. It was a rather short list as the only classes that required anything was Phys Ed, which required a gym uniform, and Home Economics, which required a base fee for ingredients and supplies. Chrom decided that he would pay the costs himself. He had some money saved from working part-time for a landscaping company last year, so it would not be a problem for him. Emmeryn had already done so much for him and Lissa that he felt that paying for his own stuff was the least he could do to repay her. As Chrom looked in his wallet to make sure he had sufficient money out of his bank account, Emmeryn called from downstairs, "Guys, you ready to go?" Chrom called back that he was ready, bounded off his bed and headed downstairs. Following Lissa, who had changed into a yellow summer dress, he entered the front foyer of his new home and put on his black and gold high-tops.

"Let's go," said Emmeryn as she opened the door and walked outside. The three siblings walked outside and got into the car. Once everyone was seated, Emmeryn started the car, pulled out of the driveway, and drove off. It was only a five minute drive to the sushi place and Chrom noticed that it was just along the road that he had taken on his way home from school. As Emmeryn pulled into the parking lot, Chrom noticed that the area was full of high school students, entering and exiting the various establishments, which included a coffee shop, a dollar store and an ice cream parlour. He figured that this area was a hub for student hangouts. As they entered the restaurant, Chrom was greeted by the sight of a giant tank full of brightly coloured fish and plants. Across from the tank stood a small counter which was occupied by a young woman with a clipboard and an earpiece.

"Table for three?" she asked, seeing the small group.

"Yes please," answered Emmeryn.

"Then I can seat you immediately," she said. "Follow me please." Chrom and the girls followed the hostess to a cozy booth in the back of the restaurant near the kitchens. Emmeryn and Lissa sat on one side while Chrom sat on his own on the other side. Menu's were already on the table as they arrived. Another taller woman approached the table as they opened their menus.

"Hello, can I start you off with drinks?" she asked.

"I'll just have a water thanks," answered Emmeryn.

"Me too," added Lissa, emulating her older sister.

"I'll have an iced tea please," requested Chrom.

"Perfect, it'll just be a moment then." said the waitress as she finished writing on her notepad and walked away to the kitchen. Chrom looked around the restaurant. It wasn't overly busy, but there were enough customers to keep the staff busy. About half of the tables were occupied. The wait staff was milling about taking orders and serving food. Through the commotion of staff however, Chrom saw a face he recognized. Wearing the staff uniform of the restaurant walked one of the students from Chrom's homeroom class. It was one of the students who sat at the back of the class. Chrom remembered that his name was Lon'qu. Chrom watched as he walked through the restaurant and into the kitchen. Chrom assumed that this was his part time job. Pulling away his attention from Lon'qu, Emmeryn asked to both Chrom and Lissa, "So how were your days at school?" Lissa answered first.

"It was great!" she said excitedly. "I had so much fun and made so many friends. I already have a new best friend. Her name is Nowi. And a boyfriend. His name is Ricken." Chrom started choking on his iced tea which had arrived at this point.

"You have a boyfriend already?" he sputtered, coughing out his drink that had found its way down his throat. "It's only been a day!"

"Yea," said Lissa, unfazed by this concern, "We liked each other right away, so we started going out." she explained matter-of-factly.

"Still, it's only been a day!" said Chrom. "Don't you think you're taking this a little fast?" Lissa shrugged her shoulders and sipped on her water.

"Well what about you Chrom? I saw you were with a girl today," she teased. "What's going on with you two?"

"Who Sumia?" Chrom said defensively. "She's just a friend. She helped me set up my class schedule and we just started talking. She's in a bunch of my classes too."

"What classes _do _you guys have?" asked Emmeryn. Lissa quickly listed off her classes as Math, English, General Science, Geography, Phys. Ed, Woodshop, Art and Drama.

"You're taking woodshop?" asked Chrom. "I can't picture you doing that. You hate getting dirty and there'll be sawdust everywhere."

"I didn't think about it when I was picking it. We had a choice between that and a computer tech course and I took this one. You get to make cute little birdhouses," Lissa explained. "And Ricken is in woodshop," she added quietly. Emmeryn closed her eyes and chuckled.

"Oh Lissa," she said shaking her head. "You make me laugh. It's not too much to worry about. Just go to the guidance counselor tomorrow morning and ask if you can switch. And if not, just make the best of it. You may enjoy it more than you think. Just think about the birdhouses," Emmeryn said sagely.

"I guess so," conceded Lissa. "And Ricken is in that class so that's good." Emmeryn sighed and closed her eyes again. As she opened her eyes again, the waitress had returned to take their orders. They decided to get a shared assorted platter of various sushi rolls. As the waitress returned to the kitchens to give the order, Emmeryn asked, "You've been pretty quiet Chrom. How was your day?"

"It was good," he said slowly. "I met some friends. Sumia, like Lissa already said. And then Donny and Kellam."

"That's nice," said Emmeryn as the food arrived, "What are they like?"

"Well Donny's really friendly. He was really eager to be friends. He's kind of like a lost puppy in that way. And Kellam's just lost. As in no one ever sees him. It's almost like he's invisible. It's almost like a super power."

"That's... unfortunate." said Emmeryn. "What about Sumia?"

"She's nice... and sweet," Chrom said.

"And pretty," Lissa interjected, "I saw her. I know." Chrom shot Lissa a look of annoyance and Emmeryn smiled unfathomably. Chrom couldn't tell if it was just a polite smile or whether Em was joining in on Lissa's teasing. Without explaining the smile, Emmeryn asked, "What about your classes Chrom?" Chrom listed off his classes as he remembered them. As he got to Home Economics, Lissa interrupted once again saying, "You know sewing is a part of that class, right? You're OK with that right?"

"I guess I am. I mean it's good to learn these things eventually." answered Chrom.

"It's good that you'll be expanding your horizons that way." added Emmeryn. The rest of the dinner went rather smoothly. The food was delicious and included an assorted plate of salmon, tuna, and even eel rolls. Conversation travelled to the pep rally. Lissa expressed her excitement over seeing the cheerleading squad and her desire to try out.

"I can't imagine you doing flips like they did," said Chrom skeptically.

"I can do cartwheels and stuff. And the rest I can learn." responded Lissa, slightly annoyed at the lack of faith.

"I think it's a good idea," said Emmeryn. "What about you Chrom? Do you have any ideas on any clubs you would want to join?"

"I was thinking about trying out for the soccer team," Chrom said.

"That's good," said Emmeryn, "Here's to you making it then." Emmeryn raised her glass in a toast and the other two siblings clinked their glasses in agreement. "And to Lissa joining the cheerleading squad as well," she added. All three of them took a drink from their glasses and then proceeded to finish the meal. Once everyone was satisfactorily sated, Emmeryn called for the bill. Both Chrom and Lissa offered to help pay, but were respectfully declined by Emmeryn. After paying, the three of them headed home and Emmeryn suggested that they begin unpacking their bedrooms. Chrom and Lissa both murmured in agreement. Upon arriving home, Chrom, Lissa and Emmeryn headed up to their individual bedrooms. Chrom began filling his closet with his clothes. Some of his articles would have to wait until his dressers arrived but he managed to get about half of his wardrobe into the closet. He also began reassembling his desk which was in pieces in a box in the hallway. About 45 minutes later, Chrom managed to put the desk together well enough. He sat on it to test its durability. It sustained his weight without wobbling, so Chrom decided that it was finished. Exhausted, he flopped down onto his bed. He checked his phone as he lay there. He had one text from Sumia, asking if he wanted to meet tomorrow before homeroom. He texted her back saying that it would be great and suggested that they meet in the courtyard of the school. A few moments later, Sumia responded in agreement. Chrom smiled as his eyes began to grow heavy. Despite trying to stay awake, Chrom fell asleep without another thought.


End file.
